Great Egret quietly stalking the edge of a pond in search of his next fishy meal. Near the turn of the century, hunters reduced the population of the Great Egret to near extinction, as they took the beautiful long lacy plumes of the breeding plumage and sold them to milliners. Because of the effort, put forth, by the National Audubon Society the sale and trade of bird plumes was banned and today the Great Egret has reclaimed most of its original territory